Mixed by Ali

Derek “MixedByAli” Ali is the in-house recording/mixing engineer for Top Dawg Entertainment.

Raised in Gardena, Los Angeles, Ali developed an interest in engineering as a teen. Initially, he recorded his friends' raps into FL Studio (then Fruity Loops) and Cool Edit Pro, making Nextel ringtones from them:

The fact that I could record somebody’s vocal and could manipulate it in all sorts of ways really intrigued me, so I started to explore engineering. The more I got into it, the more I wanted to know how the professionals did it. I did a lot of research. I tried to learn everything I could about recording, mixing and mastering techniques. Being self-taught is a great teacher. I often sat for 12-18 hours a day to hone my skills.

Online forums such as FutureProducers became learning resources and he met TDE’s Dave Free at high school when he was around 16 or 17. Dave, who was handing out Jay Rock’s mixtapes, invited Ali to come to the studio. There he met Terrence “Punch” Henderson, who introduced him to Pro Tools. Early on, he mixed childhood friend Tyga’s Young on Probation and the label’s Do It Nigga Squad, Volume 1 mixtapes. Since then he’s been in charge of the vast majority of TDE’s recording and mixing, becoming known for his superbly balanced mixes, attention to detail and particularly his use of effects on songs such as “Swimming Pools” and “Cartoon & Cereal.”

What began with making ringtones for friends led to him becoming one of the most prominent engineers in the industry, and earning the praise of seasoned veterans such as fellow engineers Dr. Dre (who advised him while they worked on good kid, m.A.A.d city) and Young Guru. The latter refers to his vocal effect work as “tremendous” and credited his other duties:

He had the responsibility of holding down a whole record label and I truly understand what that responsibility means. The job is more than just engineering, it is organizing the whole thing. From my perspective of having to do that for Roc-A-Fella, I understand the extra work that you have to do in order to be that person. I give him a lot of credit because through this he was still able to create a whole new sound—not only with Kendrick [Lamar] but with all of TDE.

Ali now does a lot of his work in the analog domain, using Pro Tools in conjunction with outboard gear, including Dr. Dre’s mixing board, to achieve the best sound possible.

His rise has helped shed light on the role of engineers, with many TDE releases containing a ‘Mixed by Ali’ credit—a rarity in the industry. This has played a large part in generating new public interest in the role, along with Drake’s praise of his engineer and friend Noah “40” Shebib, Young Thug’s association with Alex Tumay, and other engineers' efforts. He’s also worked on non-TDE material, including Vince Staples‘ Prima Donna, Danny Brown’s Atrocity Exhibition and YG’s My Krazy Life.